Sly Cooper
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Sly Cooper is the star of the Sly Cooper game series (the first game in the series is known as Sly Raccoon in Europe, but the character's name remains the same in both versions) as the main character and hero of three platform games developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the Sony PlayStation 2. He is voiced by Kevin Miller in all three games.
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[edit] Story
Sly is an teenage raccoon who is descended from a long line of master thieves. As an eight-year-old child, his parents were killed by a ruthless gang called the Fiendish Five, who stole the Thievius Raccoonus, a book containing the Cooper family's thieving techniques and moves. Sly was sent to an orphanage, where he met Bentley, a brainy, and somewhat nerdy turtle, and Murray, a comically self-confident and muscular hippopotamus. Bently was the plan maker and Murray was the doer. Sly's quest to recover his family's book forms the basis for the first game.
Sly and his friends make their base of operations in Paris, but their nationality is never explicitly described in the games. However, it is strongly hinted that they originally hail from America, as Sly states that "...it had been a long time since I had been back in the States" when visiting Mesa City, Utah in the first game (Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus). The world in which Sly Cooper and his friends live appears to be inhabited only by anthropomorphic animals.
Sly's archenemy is Clockwerk, a mysterious robotic owl. Clockwerk is revealed to have been hunting Sly's family line for thousands of years. This hunt provoked his decision to replace his body with machinery. It is also revealed that Clockwerk spared Sly's life in the attack on his family to prove that the Cooper Clan would be unable to be great thieves without the Thievius Raccoonus. In the first game, Clockwerk serves as the final boss, as well as the one "pulling the strings". The robotic owl soon ends up being defeated by Sly and is in pieces.
The second game, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, focuses on a new set of villains, the Klaww Gang, who have stolen the pieces of Clockwerk's body, and Sly's attempts to recover them.
The third game, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, takes place about a year after Sly 2. Instead of Clockwerk, Sly's main enemy is now Dr. M, a mysterious scientist who attempts to claim the Cooper family vault for himself. Sly also gains four more allies in this game.
In all three games, Cooper and his friends are pursued by Inspector Carmelita Fox, a detective from Interpol. Although the two are rivals, they team up on occasion to defeat common foes. Carmelita is also portrayed as a possible love interest for Sly. Sly's side of his conversations with Carmelita is flirtatious, but his comments are often sarcastic. However, in Sly 3, Sly fakes amnesia to get closer to Carmelita.
[edit] Comic
Sly Cooper and other characters from the games were also featured in a comic book published in 2004 by GamePro Magazine to promote the release of Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Issue #2 was made in 2005 to promote Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves.
Issue #1 acted as an in between story between the first and second game, apparently taking place sometime within the 2 year span between them. Murray and Bentley still appear as they did in Sly 1, Murray showing his more carefree demeanor from the first game showing no sign of his more hands on "The Murray" persona that he adopts during the second game and on. Considering Murray's surprise entrance at the beginning of the second game, it is assumed that this was done to keep it a surprise. Sly however, despite still looking quite young in comparison to later on, wears his thief bag around his leg as he does in Sly 2. The plot consists of two flashback stories. One is a flashback to the Cooper gang's first taste of thief work as children at the Happy Camper Orphanage (stealing cookies from a greedy sitter), and the other detailing the first time Carmelita and Sly met... which the two relay to each other with opposing points of view during a rare peaceful conversation with each other. After all is said and done, Sly once again escapes Carmelita's grasp by seemingly jumping into the nearby canal. Carmelita is at first very worried that she may have made Sly do something dramatic... but to her chagrin sees that Sly had in fact jumped onto a boat also accompanied by the gang. As the three float down the river, Sly knows he will see Carmelita again soon. Of interesting note is that Dimitri from Sly 2 and 3 makes a cameo appearance, and is drawn in the comic style of the first game as opposed to the more streamlined style the characters are drawn in from here on out. Note that Carmelita swears in this issue.
Issue #2, as opposed to Issue #1's more carefree atmosphere, Issue #2 takes a bleak and darker twist. Taking place after the events of Sly 2, it is confirmed that Murray is the one who saves Sly from Interpol at the end of the game. Sly is ambiguously rescued in a helicopter from captivity at the end of the said game and it's never revealed completely who it is, although its strongly implied that it's Murray. The story of issue two is broken into four parts. The first part consists of Sly finding a member of his father's gang in a maximum-security prison due to an invitation. This member, McSweeny, after an initial tussle, apologizes to Sly for not being able to have raised him himself after the murder of Sly's parents, due to his confinement. McSweeny tells Sly of a massive vault on a remote island that contains the accumulated treasure of all the Cooper family members stating it as Sly's inheritance. Informing Sly of where to find the map to this vault, we cut to part two. Part two details Sly and Murray breaking into a hospital to rescue the injured Bentley from the authorities. Bentley is paralyzed due to the dramatic events at the conclusion of Sly 2. Sadly, Murray's once endless enthusiasm has waned and he has become increasingly insecure with his own actions. This is because he blames himself for Bentley's predicament. Sly worries about this, but concentrates on the matter at hand. The two convince Bentley to return with them, and comfort him by quelling his fears of being a burden on his friends. Just as the three are about to escape however, they are discovered and surrounded by police. In an uncharacteristically dark tone, Murray demands Sly take Bentley and escape while he deals with the officers. Although Murray seems to have the situation well under control, Sly and Bentley worry that Murray is taking the burden of things too much and isn't using teamwork anymore. Although worried for his friend, Sly takes Bentley to safety with the vow that he'll be back to help Murray whether he likes it or not.
We cut to part three here, which consists of Carmelita reviewing footage of Sly and Murray's attempt to steal the map to the Cooper Vault's location from a Venetian museum. Carmelita is perplexed by their unusual sloppiness, and it is revealed that they had in fact failed to get the map and were barely able to escape themselves. She also questions on the missing Bentley, and wonders what's up with Sly's gang. Drifting off into sleep after, Sly breaks into her office and steals the map from under Carmelita's nose. Carmelita, however, with an army of mercenaries, vows that she will have the last laugh in the end. In the final part, we cut to an undisclosed time later at the Cooper gang's home in Paris. Sly enthusiastically observes Bentley construct an amazing wheelchair full of gadgets and technology in order to keep on par in the field. Sly and Bentley are eager to start their search for the vault when Murray arrives. Welcoming their friend and brother back, Sly and Bentley are shocked to hear that Murray has decided to leave the gang. Although Bentley doesn't blame Murray at all for what happened, and Sly protests Murray feels that he doesn't want to endanger his friends anymore and leaves for parts unknown at the comic's bleak conclusion. The events of this issue all tie into events in Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, where most find their conclusion.
[edit] Abilities
Sly's primary weapon in the games is his family's cane, which is a gold stick ending in the shape of a "C" at the top, presumably to stand for "Cooper." It can also be portrayed as a question mark, which represents "the raccoon of mystery". It also has the power to unlock the Cooper Vault. Many of his ancestors also had weapons with the trademark "C" somewhere; for example, his ancestor Tennessee Kid Cooper had two pistols, each of which had a golden "C" for its handle.
Years of training have given Sly awesome agility and reflexes, allowing him to perform feats that few can equal. In addition, he has learned every ability detailed in the Thievius Raccoonus.
[edit] Allies
Dimitri was a promising young art student before his corruption. He developed his own style, dubbed "kinetic aesthetic", which was merely him swinging back and forth from a rope tied around his waist and painting the canvas when he swung by. Alas, it was rejected outright and Dimitri was cast out of the art community. Infuriated, he began forging old masterpieces, his idea of punishing those with bad taste.
Joining the Klaww Gang, Dimtri set up a nightclub in Paris, drawing in patrons from all around the city. Funneling illegal spice sent from Rajan into the population by covering food with it, Dimitri contributed greatly to Arpeggio's plans. In addition, Dimitri modified the Clockwerk Tail Feathers for use as printing plates. Using their unique alloy, Dimitri could create an endless supply of counterfeit money.
After several missions, Sly confronted Dimitri in his lair. Sly was quickly befuddled by Dimitri's strange English, which he had learned from watching music videos. Sly responds, "I have absolutely no idea what you just said. And your suit sucks." Insulted, Dimitri attacks. Dodging blasts of energy from Dimitri's rings, Sly beat the lounge lizard and retrieved the Clockwerk tail feathers. (If You lose to him, he replies "My suit is greasy sweet!!!")Dimitri was shortly thereafter arrested by Carmelita Fox and Constable Neyla. The end credits for Sly 2 show Dimitri is a dance instructor on a cruise ship. Sly later ran into Dimitri in Venice during his efforts against Octavio. Seeking the missing Murray, Sly found Dimitri instead, locked up in a Venice prison. Cutting a deal, the two arranged for Dimitri to escape. In return, the former forger alerted Murray to the presence of his friends in Venice, thus facilitating the Cooper Gang's reassembly. How he ended up in jail is unknown because of his fate at the end of Sly 2. It's possible Sly 3 occurred before Dimitri became a dance instructor. This, however, is doubted, as Dimitri becomes a celebrity skin diver at the end of Sly 3, judging by his character, it is unlikely he would give up the girls and the money for a job as a dance instructor.It's possible he encountered a problem while he was an instructor and was arrested or sued.
Running into Dimitri in Holland, where he was working as an announcer, Sly requested that he help the Cooper Gang locate the lineup for the ACES dogfight tournament, giving Team Cooper a heads up on who they would be flying against so they could enact sabotage. After being pressured, Dimitri agreed, but only if the gang agreed to owe him a favor. Calling in that favor later, Dimitri summoned the Cooper Gang to Blood Bath Bay.
In this pirate location, Dimitri's grandfather, Reme Lousteau, had created diving gear and stolen loot from sunken ships. However, the gear was stolen, and Reme started a family. Dimitri grew up on the stories, and vowed to reclaim the treasure. After he helps the gang beat Captain LeFwee, he joins the gang as their frog-man. After the gang split up, Dimitri became a professional skin diver with girls and money. The last Bentley heard from him was a postcard: "I'm here, wish you were fine-like me."
- Inspector Carmelita Fox
Her outlook on crime is very black and white and she believes that any law breaker must be brought to justice, regardless of how minor or major the infraction may be. Pursuing this vision with her shock pistol, Carmelita is rigid in this view and pursues all criminals with equal determination, from murderers to jaywalkers to thieves like Sly and company. She acts justly to her captives however, at one point making sure Sly's captured teammate Murray is doing alright in his makeshift cell and even providing a bag of jelly beans for the hungry hippo. Carmelita is devoted to her job, but she is also a very emotional woman who must work constantly to keep her temper in check. She and Sly have feelings for each other, but their relationship is portrayed rather ambiguously throughout the series.
Though great at catching crooks, she has never been able to capture Sly, apart from the end of Sly 2: Band of Thieves, where Sly turned himself in in exchange for letting his friends, Bentley the turtle and Murray the hippo, free. Of course, Sly escapes and Inspector Fox is back to chasing him. Carmelita is nearly obsessed over Sly and catching him, which explains her anger and stress. She has a tendency to harm criminals in the process of capturing them, a way of venting her aggression. In the first game her captures of criminals are shown by paper headlines,which humorously state her attractivness. They also inform the player/viewer that she is Latin.
Carmelita is a superb acrobat, able to pull off moves that keep even Sly on his toes. Her weapon of choice is an electric shock pistol, which fires a burst of electricity capable of stunning its victims and destroying just about anything else it hits. She usually plays the damsel in distress role, caught in a situation that forces Sly to save her. This includes being captured in Clockwerk's gas chamber, being captured and almost hypnotized by the Contessa, and growing over 100 feet tall while wearing the Mask of Dark Earth.
Lt. Gronk was the leader of a team of gorilla mercenaries in the video game Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. He was hired by Carmelita Fox to help Interpol stop Octavio in Venice. Lt. Gronk and his team later appear on Kaine Island to fight off the giant monster created by Dr. M. All the members of his team are equipped with missile launchers and jetpacks. Unfortunately, he and his mercenaries all suffer from very bad luck. In the events of the game (as well as in the bonus cartoon Goodbye My Sweet), they have been beaten up by the Cooper Gang during one of their heists in Switzerland, tricked into fighting a losing battle against Octavio's Vincenetti gang at Venice; a sizeable group were caught in the explosion caused by the destruction of the Mask of Dark Earth in the Australian Outback, and they were all either killed or badly injured by Dr. M's giant turtle monster on Kaine Island.
Gronk was also presumably among the gorillas featured in the Goodbye, My Sweet bonus animation, where Carmelita deployed them to help her guard the world's most valuable bar of chocolate. If he was, he sadly proved unable to overcome Murray's strength. He may also have been among those featured in the promotional comic released to cover events prior to Sly 3 and after Sly 2, where his team was commissioned to assist Carmelita in hunting down the Cooper Gang.
- The Contessa
A special hypnosis spider that was working along the side of Inspector Fox in Rajan's ball room. She soon revealed that she was a secret member of the Klaww Gang and nearly hypnotism Carmelita by locking her up in the "Re-Education" Tower. Soon, she got defeated by Sly Cooper and immediately got arrested by Neyla. She is now locked up in Venice Italy's Police HQ. Soon in Sly 4, Sly ran into her and then freed her so she can help stop all the villains from re-accembiling Clockwerk (yet again but there going back in time to convince Neyla to stop working for the Klaww gang). You will all see soon.
- Constable Neyla
- Winthorp
Carmelita's executive assistant, Winthorp also has a crush on her that is hard to miss. Unfortunately for Winthorp, Carmelita's preoccupation with her work prevents her from noticing his innocent affections. To top it off, the dweeby, out-of-shape Winthorp cannot possibly compete with the charming, athletic force that is Sly Cooper. He appears only in the comics.
Mentor to Carmelita Fox and the head of her original police unit. Inspector Barkley was the one who first got Carmelita into action against Sly Cooper. Barkley was grooming Carmelita as his successor, but her temporary unprofessional attitude almost cost Inspector Fox her job and Barkley his retirement. Many years later, however, Barkley was still on the force. He arrived at the crash sight of Arpeggio's blimp and, upon seeing Sly Cooper in custody, reinstated Carmelita's revoked position within Interpol and gave her a promotion.
Inspector Barkley is an anthropomorphic badger. He is short, overweight, and smokes a cigar.
Others
A walrus who worked with Sly's father, McSweeney was the precursor to Murray-that is to say, he was the muscle of the previous Cooper Gang. Like Bentley and Murray, McSweeney shared a brotherly relationship with the Cooper family member he worked with. As a result, McSweeney is a sort of uncle figure to Sly. Following the schism of his gang and the betrayal of Doctor M, McSweeney turned himself in to Heathrow prison. However, before doing so, he hid a map to the Cooper Vault in an Italian museum. Upon learning of Sly's continued existence after the attacks by Clockwerk and the Fiendish Five, McSweeney summoned Sly to his cell with carrier pigeons. After Sly passed his identification test, McSweeney revealed that escape from prison was not his intention. Instead, he wished to tell Sly about the map. However, he neglected to inform him about Dr. M's fortress.
McSweeney is an anthropomorphic walrus whose left tusk has been broken. He wears only shoes and jeans, and his upper body bears several tattoos. Among these is one on his left hand depicting the museum where he hid the Cooper Vault map.
McSweeney looks suspiciously (and perhaps intentionally) in color and species, like Whoopie the Walrus from Sucker Punch's first title, Rocket: Robot on Wheels.
[edit] Enemies
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
The Fiendish Five
The Klaww Gang
[edit] Sly's ancestors
See main article.
[edit] Awards
Sly Cooper won "Best New Character" at the Game Developer's Conference for 2002.
[edit] See also
| Heroes |
Cooper Clan/Cooper Gang: Sly Cooper | Bentley | Murray | The Guru | Penelope |
|---|---|
| Neutral/Anti-heroes | |
| Villains |
Fiendish Five: Clockwerk | Sir Raleigh | Muggshot | Mz. Ruby Klaww Gang: Arpeggio | Rajan | Contessa | Jean Bison | Neyla Unaligned: Doctor M | Octavio | Mask of Dark Earth | General Tsao | Captain LeFwee |
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Sly Cooper video games
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Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus • Sly 2: Band of Thieves • Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves |
